by Ella Edon
“Do you…” Derby hesitated. “Do you believe it’s me?”
“No!” Amy’s eyes widened. “Of course not! You’d never do that. You’re not psychotic.”
“Glad you think so,” Derby grunted.
Amy slapped his chest and left her hand there, allowing Derby to pull her into his arms.
“I’m just telling you because…” Amy sighed. “Well, you might become another victim. And you mean so much to me, Daniel. I don’t...I don’t want to lose you.”
She looked so afraid, so alone, even in his arms. Derby lifted her chin up and kissed her, giving her a smile.
“You needn’t worry about me, Amy. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not so easy to kill.”
“I hope not,” Amy muttered.
“I know I’m not.”
He kissed her again, and this time Amy returned it. She sighed and ran her fingers through his hair. Derby resisted the urge to haul her closer, aware of where they were. It was all too tempting to strip her clothes off and take her against the tree, but knowing their luck, someone would come around the corner and see them. Derby wasn’t about to ruin Amy that much.
“What the…?”
The shriek had Amy jumping away, bumping Derby’s lip against his teeth. Wincing, he turned to see Beatrice Hartley in the gap in the hedge, staring at them with wide eyes and an outraged look on her face.
“What is the meaning of this, Amy?” she snarled. “What are you doing?”
Amy looked like she wanted to sink into the ground. Derby grabbed her arm and urged her behind him as Beatrice advanced on them. Beatrice waved an angry finger in his face.
“How dare you take advantage of my daughter, Derby!” she screeched. “You absolute cad!”
“I believe she’s your stepdaughter, Lady Hartley,” Derby replied mildly. “And you know my intentions with Amy. Am I not allowed to kiss the woman I’m going to marry?”
“You? Marry her?” Beatrice threw back her head with a snorting laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re living in a dream world, Derby. My husband has already told you that is not happening. He said you would never become Amy’s husband.”
Derby felt Amy’s hands grip onto his arm, but he focused on staring down the Viscountess.
“And why, may I ask?” he shot back. “Because I refuse to bow down to him? Because I refuse to treat Amy anything less than a princess?”
Beatrice snorted.
“Don’t talk rubbish! She’s a wanton. She doesn’t deserve to be a princess.” She turned to her stepdaughter. “You’d better come with me, Amy, before people realize you’ve been hiding and kissing other men.”
“I don’t care what they think now, Beatrice,” Amy said. Her grip tightened on Derby’s elbow, and he had to fight back a wince. “I want to stay with Lord Derby.”
“You’re not staying here with him at all.” Beatrice folded her arms, sneering at Amy. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you were having affairs with the Marquis and that nosy valet as well. That would explain why they ended up dead like Sir Colin’s boy.”
Derby felt Amy move and grabbed her before she could lunge past him at her stepmother. Amy tried to get away and grab for Beatrice, but the smug woman stepped away. Derby held onto Amy as she struggled, spitting madly at Beatrice.
“You are disgusting!” she screamed. “You are a vile human being!”
“We’ll be leaving in the morning.” Beatrice didn’t look concerned that her stepdaughter had tried to attack her. If anything, she looked amused, like she had got her own way. “And the first church we come across, you and Lord Leicester are to marry. Then he’ll show you what happens when you stray.”
“Why doesn’t anyone listen to me?” Amy screamed. “I am not marrying Leicester!”
Derby couldn’t believe the coldness coming from the Viscountess. It was like she was enjoying this.
“I think you keep forgetting that you have no choice in this, Amy. We’ve made up our minds, and even with Lord Derby’s pathetic attempts, we’re not changing them.”
With a furious cry, Amy pulled away from Derby, pushed past her stepmother, and ran out of the enclosed garden. Derby wanted to go after her, but he was more focused on Beatrice. He turned to the Viscountess.
“You will leave this part of the garden now, Lady Hartley,” he said icily. “This is a private area, not permitted to be visited by the guests, and I do not want you in here.”
“I’m going.” Beatrice’s smug expression said she had come to do what she planned. “I was just looking for my daughter.”
“Stepdaughter, Lady Hartley.” Derby pointed out sharply. “And next time you want to enter a place where I’m about, wait until you’re permitted to enter. I don’t tolerate rudeness.”
Beatrice snickered.
“Like father, like son, I see,” she sneered. “The apple certainly didn’t fall far from the tree.”
Then she turned and sashayed away, looking like she had won a fight. Derby growled and kicked at the bench, focusing on the pain in his foot. It was either kick the bench or the tree, and Derby didn’t want his father turning in his grave at his son’s disrespect.
Then again, he had probably turned over several times at this mess.
* * *
“Lord Derby.”
Derby looked up. Day was standing in the doorway to his study. Then he remembered where he was. After Beatrice Hartley had come upon them, Derby had retreated into his study. He still needed to digest everything.
“Doctor Day.” Forcing himself back to reality, Derby beckoned the man in. “Forgive me; I was miles away.”
“I can tell.” Day shut the door and crossed the room. “Amy’s in her room right now. Your sister’s with her. Amy’s calmed down, but she’s still furious after what Lady Hartley said to her.”
“I can imagine.” Derby was still angry at what he had heard, as well. “But what are we going to do? Lord and Lady Hartley are determined to get their own way, and that will happen by tomorrow. We can’t kidnap Amy and put her under lock and key to keep them away.”
“And we can’t get Lord Hartley to leave his daughter behind.” Day leaned on the back of the chair across from the desk. “By law, he has charge of Amy and of what happens to her. That includes marriage.”
Derby knew that. He had been in charge of Sarah until she married after their father died, but he wished it wasn’t the case. Women were, essentially, turned into property with no voice. No matter how loud they screamed, they would be ignored. Hartley was certainly very good at that.
“What are you thinking about, Derby?” Day asked.
“Everything and nothing.” Derby rubbed at his temples. “I want Amy safe, James. I don’t want to lose her. But I have a feeling that more people are going to die. And it will be because of her.”
“What are you saying?” Day’s eyes widened. “You think she poisoned them?”
“No, of course, I don’t. But she’s the reason they’re dead. Anyone who shows any sort of affection towards her, romantic or otherwise, ends up dead. That’s a sobering thought to anyone.”
“It certainly is.” Day paused. “Do you think you might be next? Everyone knows about your intentions towards Amy by now.”
“How no one’s come after me yet, I have no idea. But I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.” Derby sat back and stared at the ceiling. “But what if Amy becomes a target? What if whoever is doing this decides they don’t want to keep protecting her any longer, and they want to be noticed. Amy’s going to reject them once she realizes what they’ve done, and they won’t be able to accept that rejection.”
Before he even finished speaking, Day was shaking his head.
“Amy won’t die.”
“How could you possibly know that?”
“Because whoever is doing this, I believe, loves Amy. They wouldn’t hurt her, even if they got rejected.” Day shrugged. “As far as I believe, Amy’s safe.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
He ha
d more faith in things than Derby had right then. If he was right, that meant everyone else was in danger, and Derby hoped that included Lord and Lady Hartley. It wasn’t very Christian of him, but the pair didn’t make anyone feel Christian. It was a wonder nobody had taken things into their own hands with regards to them before.
“Derby!”
Derby heard the shout before there was a banging at his door. He shot to his feet as the door burst open, bouncing off the bookcase behind it, and Leicester came barging in. The Earl looked like he was ready for a fight. He was bright red and snarling, charging at Derby.
“Whoa!”
Derby ducked away as Leicester picked up a book and threw it at his head. Darting out of the way, Derby kept the desk between them as Leicester snatched up another book.
“Christ, Leicester, what are you doing?”
“Lady Hartley just told me what she came upon in the garden just now.” Leicester threw another book at Derby, this one narrowly missing his ear before hitting the wall. “You were manhandling my bride! I won’t have it!”
“Amy is not your bride, and I was not manhandling her.” Derby flexed his muscles, squaring up to the man. “If you want a lesson in manhandling, I can do that with you, if you want.”
“Derby,” Day warned.
Derby bared his teeth in a snarl at the doctor, but the older man shook his head. If he launched at Leicester and got into an all-out fight, that would be giving the Earl what he wanted. Much as Derby would love to make Leicester bleed, he knew Day was right.
Leicester barked out a laugh, folding his arms as he growled at Derby.
“You wouldn’t be able to win a fight with me, Derby. I guarantee it. Rest assured, once Amy and I are married tomorrow, you are never seeing her again. I won’t allow it.”
“Are you going to kill me like you’ve killed the others?” Derby snapped.
Day shot him a look. Leicester blinked, momentarily looked confused.
“What are you talking about?”
It had been a spur of the moment thing, but now Derby could see it forming in his head. And it did make sense. Sort of.
“The Marquis of Merseyside and Dobson were murdered the same way. And it’s the same way that killed Sir Colin France’s son two years ago. All of them were connected to Amy.” Derby gave Leicester a pointed look. “Are you killing other men to get rid of the competition? Does that mean I’m next?”
Leicester was momentarily lost for words. Then he threw back his head and laughed.
“Come off it! You must be mad. I had no idea what happened to Sir Colin’s boy, and I didn’t even know Amy then.” He leaned on the desk, which made Derby grit his teeth. “If I wanted to get rid of another man for a woman’s hand, I wouldn’t poison them. I’d find another way to get rid of them that hurt a lot more. Besides, Amy Hartley’s not worth that. She can have as many men as she wants running around after her, but once I have her as my wife, she won’t be able to have anything to do with them.”
“You’d keep her locked up?” Day was now staring at Leicester is stunned disbelief. “You’re supposed to cherish your wife, Lord Leicester, not treat her like a prisoner!”
“She’s a beauty, but no one else will marry her. People see her as bad luck, considering how many people started courting her and then ran away in her first Season. Lord Hartley simply took things into his own hands.” Leicester leered, looking very pleased with himself. “And I’m not about to have a prize like Amy run from me because of a jealous fool like you.”
He wanted a woman to control, and Amy was perfect for him. In Lord Hartley’s eyes, no other man would touch her. He believes she needed someone strong, a firm hand. But that firm hand shouldn’t be raised at the wife.
“Keep away from her, Derby.” Leicester pushed away from the desk. “She’s not yours, and she certainly won’t be after tomorrow.”
“It’s my house, Leicester. I can do what I want.”
Leicester shook his head as he strutted towards the door.
“Not when it comes to Amy.”
He left, slamming the door behind him.
* * *
Sarah poured a glass of water and crossed the room, sitting beside Amy on the couch. She pressed the glass into her friend’s hands.
“Drink this.”
“Thank you.”
Amy gulped down the water. It almost caught in her throat, and Amy had to swallow hard. Being caught by her stepmother in Derby’s arms hadn’t been as embarrassing as she expected, but hearing that Beatrice and her father were still going through with their single-minded plan made her nauseous. Amy wanted nothing to do with it, but she was stuck. No matter what had happened in the last few days, her future was set.
She didn’t want it.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you right now, Sarah.”
“I’m sure you would be able to manage.” Sarah put her hand over Amy’s. “Don’t fret. When the magistrate gets here tomorrow, he’ll make sure everyone stays until he figures out what’s going on.”
Amy snorted.
“Father will want to leave as soon as possible. That’s what they plan to do.”
“And they will be dragged back. Lord Radford is very strict about that. We’re all suspects, and no one will be leaving on pain of arrest.”
“Try telling that to Father,” Amy grumbled.
He wasn’t going to listen to even the magistrate. Amy was secretly hoping that her father would be arrested, just to get it into his head that his word wasn’t the last one. That would be a sight she would want to see.
“Besides, I know my brother wants you to stay.” Sarah smiled. “More than you can imagine.”
“I know that already. And I want to stay as much as he wants me here.” Amy shook her head. “But Father won’t allow it. He’s already made up his mind.”
“You can plead with the magistrate about it.” Sarah giggled. “Perhaps ask him to conduct a quick marriage ceremony. He can do those as well.”
Marriage. Even after everything, Derby hadn’t even said he loved her, never mind proposed to her. Amy didn’t need to know that he loved her, but it would be nice to hear the words. The thought of having a quickie marriage under her father’s nose had Amy bursting out laughing.
“In the middle of a murder inquiry? Sarah, I’m not that mad.”
“It was just a thought.” Sarah squeezed Amy’s hand. “I know you love my brother, Amy, and the feeling is mutual. He doesn’t need to say it out loud for anyone to know. Daniel’s not going to let you go so easily.”
Amy hoped that was the case. She could stand up to her father, but she wasn’t strong enough to do it alone. Having Derby behind her would help. And Hartley was not about to embarrass himself in front of the magistrate.
Hopefully, they could have a few days’ grace and not have her dragged away as soon as they had been spoken to.
Amy looked up as she heard thundering footsteps outside her room, charging along the corridor. Then her door flung open, and Hartley came storming in. He was red in the face, his eyes wild. All that was missing was the frothing at the mouth.
“You stupid…” he spluttered as he advanced on his daughter. “You stupid little chit!”
He took a swing as her. Amy ducked away, his arm brushing against her hair, and she ended up on the floor. Sarah screamed and darted off the couch, putting it between her and Hartley. Amy scrambled to her feet and backed away from her father.
“Father, what are you doing?”
Hartley had been furious before, but this was something else. And he had never physically tried to hurt her in front of witnesses. Sarah whimpered. Hartley glanced at her, clearly barely able to contain himself.
“Lady Merseyside,” he rasped, “You had better leave before I cause you more distress.”
“Not a chance.” Sarah shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere.” She moved across the room, grabbing Amy and pulling her behind her. She faced the Viscount down. “You’re about to put y
our hands on my friend, and I won’t allow it.”
Hartley blinked. Amy wondered when was the last time a woman had stood up to Hartley since her mother. Hartley recovered quickly and bared his teeth at Sarah, who didn’t blink.
“Get out of the way, my lady. She’s my daughter!”
“That doesn’t give you the right to hit her,” Sarah said calmly. “If you want to talk to her, you can do so from over there.”
“All right. Fine.” Hartley was breathing heavily. Amy could see his hands clenched tightly into fists. “I’ve just had Doctor Day come speak to me. He was telling me that I shouldn’t be so harsh in my treatment of you. And that was right after Lord Leicester came to me saying that Derby accused him of murder!”
